Wrapper: African Sun Grown
Binder: Ecuadorian
Filler: Nicaraguan Ligero, Dominican, PA Seco
Size: 5 x 52 “552”
Body: Full
Price: $8.00

Yesterday, I reviewed the “Black” part of the tandem: Leccia Black & White cigars. Today, I move on to the full bodied White blend.
Please go back after this review and read the Black review. I thought the cigar was stunning.

First, I want to thank Jack Toraño for sending me some samples. The Toraño Family is distributing this cigar. The Leccia web site is not up and running yet so I can’t glean any info from it. As everyone knows, Sam Leccia was the designer for Nub and Cain cigars.

It wasn’t until 2012, that Sam Leccia was able to break the relationship with Oliva and start his own company. He had tried to release a cigar in 2011 called “Debut,” but the Oliva Company stopped it. And the legal hassle continued. Sam declared that the new blends have nothing to do with the Debut blend. He started from scratch when developing the current blends. His current company resides in Pittsburgh.

“For the last couple of years I’ve been dreaming of the day when I could get back to the industry that I love,” said Leccia. From Cigar Aficionado.

Black and White will come in four sizes: 4 x 46, 5 x 52, 6 x 50, and 6 x 60

Like the Black, construction is excellent. Solid, some veins, invisible seams, nice looking triple cap, some oiliness and sandy to the touch.
I clip the cap to get some aromas. There is cocoa, cinnamon, coffee, earth, and spice.

I light up. Sweetness and spice. But no puppy dog’s tail. Luscious immediately. The body hits classic medium right away. The draw is great and the char line looks pretty good for this early in the burn.

This has a completely different approach than the Black. More traditional. The spiciness, or red pepper, in this case quickly builds. And so does the flavor. Cocoa and creaminess add to the sweetness. This cigar quickly becomes extremely flavorful.
The body wants to go higher. I want to take you higher. Sorry.

This cigar starts off with a high level of potency. While the Black is billed as medium/full, it just barely attained the full body in the very last nubbing of the cigar. This cigar is going for the gold early.

I am unfamiliar with African leaves. Their info doesn’t state what part of Africa they come from.

I’m barely at an inch in and this flavor profile is just going nuts. The card inserted with the samples says it has a sweet cashew component. I can taste the sweetness and there is some nuttiness but it is too early in the cigar to delineate that flavor as cashews.

I review one cigar every day of the week. No time off for the wicked. And I smoke a lot of different brands. At all price points. I haven’t been this impressed with a duo of cigar blends in a long time. Leccia hit the 10 ring first time out…sort of…if you don’t count Nub and Cain.

These cigars are for sale on some online stores. While not expensive for the quality brought to play, still $8 a stick is a little tough on the working guy…so when I do buy, it might be a couple of 5 packs of each to start. And then if I find I can’t live without them, I see my future bright as day; buying the boxes and being imprisoned by my wife in the closet for a week…being fed her cooking as punishment.

The char line on the stick continues to be close to a continuous dead nuts. The draw is also right on the money.

The cocoa and creaminess are relentless. I end the first third looking forward to the second third. The spiciness is there but not as penetrating to the palate. And now I can delineate the cashew flavor. Cashews are at their sweetest when they are raw. And that’s what this tastes like with the help of the creamy component.

No major changes in the second third, so far. I should remind you that I’ve only de-celloed these cigars a little over three days ago. I dry boxed them for 24 hours and did my first review post haste. So this is Day 3. Here is a cigar booming with flavor and character and it hasn’t come close to being properly aged in my humidor. It will be a true test of my character when I buy these and attempt to let them rest without digging in.

The second third sees the addition of a stronger creamy coffee. Cinnamon plays a bigger part. There is a deep, rich earthiness as the power of the cigar rises. It is now bona fide full bodied.

There is also a fruity component now. Sweet honey dew. This is a first for me.

At the halfway point, the cigar’s power seems to drive the bus. The laptop screen gets a bit wavy. And the spice returns to its original strength. Wow. Mr. Leccia really put his heart in soul in delivering two different blends of this magnitude under the same blend line. They are black and white. Now I get it.

The sweet honey dew moves towards the rear as the spice takes over. The creaminess also is lessened by the push of the strength. The cocoa has never changed. And the nuttiness remains the same.

The early stages found the small bit of ash falling off quickly. But since the second third began, the ash needs a ball-peen hammer to remove it. So of course, being the schmuck that I am, I tease the cigar hoping to get some good photos of the hanging ash. Which means, it will fall into my lap or on my keyboard.

The cigar has hit the complex mode as the last third begins. The flavors aren’t as distinct but rather, meld into one giant flavor ball. Intermingling, intertwining, juxtapositioning, rallying, and damn delicious.

The honey dew is gone and replaced by honey. There is a very long finish now. The cigar is perfectly balanced. Even with the power of being full bodied doesn’t take away from the mélange of flavors exerting from the stick.

The inch and a half ash finally falls gently into my ashtray; and not on me.

I’m having the same problem with removing the band as I did with the one yesterday and must use a sharp knife to remove it in one piece. I manage to do this without damaging the wrapper. Whew. A little less glue, please, Mr. Leccia.

It’s time to savor the rest of the cigar. To take my time and really enjoy what it offers. No hurry. The review can wait.

The last couple inches continue the parade of flavor. The body is strong. And I think I have found my two favorite cigars.

The cigar finishes without any harshness and stays cool. This is masterful cigar blending. While the cigar is at the $8 price point, it is worth every dime. Leccia could have put a higher price tag on them and still would be worth it.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS